The Relationship
by Yamino Tenshi 202
Summary: Relationships are based on three things: intimacy, commitment, and passion. The closeness, the loyalty, and the burning fire of souls connecting. (Jack x Pitch - Part 4 of "Lark and Nightingale")
1. Intimacy

It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.

- Friedrich Nietzsche

* * *

Jack liked the shadows that sometimes merged with his ice. He especially liked the ones that decorated Pitch's skin when his frost spread over the other's chest, the part exposed by the dipping "v" of his shirt. The other's breathing made the ice have to move constantly, melting and reforming to take over the expanse of flesh there. The shadows, then, were swimming over the Nightmare King, pantomiming touches over Jack's lover.

Lover... Friend.

"Pitch?"

The older spirit hummed, not bothered by the patterns on his chest. Where he and Jack sat against the same log in the Burgess forest where they began to meet platonically, then kissed for the first time, the leaves were finally gone and the trees reached up to the sky with spindle-like arms.

"Yes, Jack?" he questioned, his arm on Jack's lower back drawing circles through the hooded sweater.

"We're... We're lovers then?"

Pitch moved and looked down at Jack, gold eyes looking for blue and finding them. Jack saw Pitch looking for something, as though his eyes would say everything. He wished that they could - he wasn't comfortable talking with anyone still. He talked with Jamie and his friends when he could, but the children had their own lives. They were young, but were maturing... What was their childhood of hope and wonder and innocent things, would one day give in to cynicism and things that Jack had witnessed.

Once, he flew over an institution. There was smoke rising from vast chimneys and textiles were shipped out constantly as workers lived there.

He saw a little girl turn into a girl that stole others' food and got them in trouble, so she could take more rations for good behaviour.

The light of Childhood left her eyes, as the light of Life left her eyes one winter.

The General of Winter shook his head, patting Jack's shoulder as the young snow spirit cried. There was nothing to be done.

All lives weighed the same. They can be thrown away.

What made Jack different? What made him any different for Pitch?

Pitch's lips met the top of Jack's head. He delivered another kiss to the boy's temple, seeing him shiver.

"I'm pretty sure 'friends' or 'acquaintances' don't cover the depth of our relationship." He left another kiss on Jack's neck, smirking against his skin as Jack bit his lip, quieting a moan that emerged from deep in his throat.

"But... What makes me different?" Jack hummed in pleasure as lips found the corner of his jaw and suckled gently on the pale skin, leaving a mark that he'd have to hide one way or another. Frost would help- "Don't distract me."

Pitch chuckled and pulled away. "All right. I'd hoped to have a less stressful conversation than this."

Jack sighed. "Sorry, we can do something else."

"No, it's fine. It's a reasonable thing to question," he assured, pulling Jack closer. "Why I want you more than the others, then?"

The frost spirit nodded.

"When I first came out of the shadows, I had heard of you. A frost spirit that loved to wander and to be with others, something not heard of in winter spirits. I paid no mind really. Surely you had been influenced by the Moon, the Mountains, or the Other World. Even the Old Ones had told tales of you when they accepted me to partake in their circles.

"The Old One who talked about you most often, Skadi, mentioned how humans, no matter their age or innocence, could not see you. I empathized, almost reluctantly. I had been alone for so long that you could say I buried my heart. I cut it out of myself because I no longer wanted to hurt. I focused then on my revenge against the Guardians, wandering and causing fear in villages, towns, and the growing cities. There was no-one to believe in me, however - just parents who used the idea, the saying, of how the Bogeyman would eat them or send them to the Devil should they not fall asleep at the chosen time. I was never truly seen..."

Jack saw Pitch close his eyes, eyes moving underneath his eyelids. Was he seeing the parents tell children ridiculous things? Pitch did make children disappear, but he hadn't done that in...

"Go on," he asked, wanting to hear more. He'd ask another time.

"When you came with the Guardians to the Palace, I had assumed that you'd be with them already. When you confirmed otherwise, I saw that I had no reason to fight with you - I'm not as terribly cruel as that rabbit makes out to be. In Antarctica... I bared my heart, the one I had buried centuries before, to you."

"And I threw it away." Jack pressed further in Pitch's side. "I... I've seen what fear, terror does to people. It's made mothers abandon their children, nations go to war, people take their own life..."

"And a world without fear?" he was asked.

"No desire for safety, people doing stupid things, hurting others..." Jack brought his knees to his chest, his arms wrapping around them. He let his forehead rest on the tops of his knees. "Because it pleases them. It's fun to them."

Pitch's hand left his lower back and made its way to his shoulder. "Terror can be blinding, intoxicating, for me, but I myself have a fear of it. I felt it from someone very dear to me, close to my Creation as the Nightmare King."

Jack stiffened. "Were you... someone else before?"

"Yes," the Bogeyman answered, looking up to the sky. The Moon was barely beginning to rise, Jack noted when he raised his head. "I was a Vion, a warrior against Fearlings and Nightmare Men for the world of Månen, the world where your Man in the Moon was born. I... devoted my existence to those Royals, but I never had a chance to meet the young prince. Who I did get to see, was my daughter. It was her terror I felt, soon after the Nightmare King arose. I fought with my might and my love for her and Månen... I did not wake up, my heart buried away and the shadows having taken my memories..."

Jack felt Pitch's hand stay on his shoulder for a moment longer before coming low about his waist. "And you woke me up, Jack."

The frost spirit looked at Pitch and felt his heart catch in his throat. Gold eyes were filled with serenity and a trust that overwhelmed Jack, prompting him to press his forehead against Pitch's, wanting to be closer to the older spirit.

"Could it have been someone besides me?" His voice was hardly above a whisper.

"I've never felt so much empathy, even for other spirits that wander in loneliness," Pitch whispered. "You kept yourself so strong, a strength that I wish to emulate. You don't run from your fear - you fight it head on." He continued his hushed reply after pressing another kiss upon Jack's lips. "I believe you stole my heart after I showed it to you, Jack."

Jack smiled and pressed forward, giving a kiss to the other.

"You know, you're the first one to ever listen to me."

Pitch smiled, pulling away to allow some room for the other to feel more at peace.

"'Listen'?"

"It was around 1968, on Eastre Sunday... I had tried to contact the Guardians. General Winter had told me that they could be seen by humans and I was so lonely, I had been just trying to contact people for so long, I was giving up hope that I was even supposed to exist. The Yetis at North's workshop never let me in, beating me up every time I tried to go in. Tooth's place is way too warm, and Sandy was always busy. He gave me dreams once in a while, but I couldn't be content with that. That left Bunny. He-" Jack sighed, collecting himself.

"He said that he had no time to waste with me, that he was busy. I was so sick of not being heard, that I wasn't worth anyone's time, and with the weather tied to my emotions, a blizzard hit."

"And I was the first to listen to your loneliness."

Jack let out a laugh in spite of himself.

"You were mean about it, but you were right. I wanted to be seen, like you wanted to be seen." He turned to settle against Pitch, placing his ear where his heart would be. "Thank you for listening to me, for seeing me."

Pitch wrapped his arms around Jack and hummed contentedly.

"No... I should thank you."

Jack would ask about that later, when he wasn't so busy being wrapped up in Pitch's embrace and when the pleasant, throbbing feeling in his chest stopped making him feel like he just got the most valuable thing in the world as a gift.

* * *

The Triangular Theory of Love is as such:

1) Intimacy - emotional closeness and want (Not needing to be with someone, but not wanting to be without them)

2) Commitment - trust and loyalty

3) Passion - lust, wanting, and physical desire

Devany: Hi, guys. I just wanted to thank those who are reading the series "Lark and Nightingale" and I would just like to ask for reviews. I really would appreciate any feedback and criticism (positive and negative). It would really help me grow as a writer and it could help with the 7th part of the series onward.

Thank you again!


	2. Commitment

This chapter would take place before "Lark and Nightingale", maybe even just before it.

* * *

When marrying, ask yourself this question: Do you believe that you will be able to converse well with this person into your old age? Everything else in marriage is transitory.

- Friedrich Nietzsche

* * *

"The children are safe... for now, my friends." North told them the number of lights going out now. It was more of a typical number that happened due to age, some older sibling ruining the idea that Father Christmas wasn't real, not coming this time around.

"Thank goodness," Toothiana breathed out, her feathers a bit ruffled from the stress. So much like a mother.

"And we have Pitch to thank for this?" Bunnymund chimed in. "I know this sounds grouse, but really?"

Jack bit his lip as the Pooka continued, Sandy standing next to Jack and looking up at the frost spirit.

"He left us in such a poor state in the spring, and now we're just letting him off because he seems to be helping the children now?"

"Isn't that all that matters, Bunny? That the children are safe?" Jack met the Pooka's eyes as he spoke and he did not back down when the other approached him. Sandy moved away, going to stand by North.

"You don't know Pitch, mate. He-"

"He's hurt people, I know. He's killed children before and done horrible things," Jack said, repeating everything that Bunny had told him. Pitch still had not told him much, save for that when he had his moments of consciousness while the Nightmare King ruled, he could still hear his daughter's cries. "But how do we know he hasn't been through hard times either? He was alone for even longer than me, and you know how I am!"

Bunny came close, impeding on the circle of space that Jack was used to having as personal space. "Do you want to know what he did to me?"

"You're the last one of your kind because of him." Jack ignored the shocked look in the Pooka's green eyes. "I'm not stupid. I've never seen anyone like you and you have the hardest set anger towards Pitch. There's probably going to be a connection."

"And still you feel pity towards him?" Jack bit at the inside of his cheek. It was not pity that he felt towards Pitch, and he recalled what Pitch said when he had asked about his feelings the other day.

"Empathy, not pity. I'd never feel pity for anyone; it doesn't fix anything, especially for what happened to you."

Bunny stayed silent for a while. "You couldn't have connected that. You-" The same green eyes widened. "You've been seeing Pitch, haven't you?"

Jack held as still as the ice sculptures that he could make, and it was the only answer that the Guardians needed.

"You've been seeing Pitch?" North stepped forward, asking the young spirit and speaking for the first time since Bunnymund began.

"I-I... I have." He didn't have the gall to lie to North, to have him disappointed in him again. "I'm the one that asked him to help with the children."

Tooth came forward as North processed the new information. "How is he helping?"

"It's like Sandy showed you the first time. The kids weren't afraid and now they're just cautious. You have to be scared of something, the best thing would be danger, getting hurt." He lowered his gaze, shame filling him. "Jamie was... He was going to jump off of his house roof, and he would have died if I hadn't been there. He said that he wasn't scared and that he didn't think anything would happen to him."

Jack turned to Bunnymund. "He might not be the person we wanted to rely on, but he's the one we need."

"You're just asking for trouble... aren't you, mate?" Jack looked up at him defiantly.

"Bunny, perhaps is good that Jack is doing this, being closer to Pitch." North patted his belly. "I have good feeling about this."

"But North-"

"You're not the only one that's been hurt, you know?" Jack stared at the Pooka, hoping that he would realise his point. Bunnymund just looked away from him.

"Shut up."

"No, because I stayed quiet for a long time, and when I finally did shout, you hated me for years after!" Jack could feel his insides get hard, as though tensing for whatever move he would make next. "I don't care if you don't like me. I'm just telling you that maybe Pitch is hurt, just like you."

He had ignored the clenching fists, so the hit to his face, the pain in his nose - he couldn't feel it break - and in his mouth - there, he felt something - was a surprise. He fell backwards, his staff falling out of his grasp.

Jack glared up at Bunnymund, who held up his fist, shocked at the fact that he had just hit Jack.

"How long have you been wanting to do that, rabbit? Since Easter? Because you're the only one who's been hurt enough to justify handing out punches." Jack wiped at his chin, feeling some of his cool blood drip down from his busted lip over his colder skin. He still remembered how Pitch had held his attention long enough that this past year's Easter had been ruined, and how Bunny had almost hit him.

The first real contact he would have had, it would've been a punch.

"At least I don't drown in self-pity, Frost." Jack felt tears well in the corners of his eyes. He knew that only Toothiana had seen his memories, and only she knew about how he had died, but he still had nightmares - not caused by Pitch - about the burning in his lungs, the taste of pond water on his tongue, and the sweeping away of his consciousness as he took in a breath. Of all things that Jack Frost could hate to hear any connection to, it was drowning.

Was it self-pity that he had felt for so long? Could he have helped himself if he had really tried?

Could someone have seen him... if he had only tried harder?

Tooth flew over to his side, concerned and tittering words like "blood" and "too far" at Bunny. Her fingers were warm, Jack noticed, and he closed his eyes to appreciate the warmth. Her fingers ran around the cut in his lip and he felt how gingerly she pressed her lips to his cheeks, whispering sweet platitudes to his skin. He felt so tired...

"Jack?" Her voice was so much different than Pitch's and he pulled his broken lip into his mouth, tasting his own blood. He missed the Bogeyman... and it felt so strange to do so.

"I... I'm leaving."

Bunnymund stammered for a moment. "Jack-"

"Save it."

Jack let himself fly up to the only open skylight of the workshop and let go. He paid no mind to the calls, hanging onto the wind as he wanted to just go to Pitch.

* * *

When he found the entrance to Pitch's lair, he looked around the bed, wanting the other to be in the shadows or something, just so he'd get here quickly.

"Pitch!"

"Jack?" The Bogeyman stepped out from under the shade of a nearby tree, the leaves falling slowly off of its branches, and Jack rushed towards him, shadow-clad arms wrapped around him and absorbing the gentle force of the other's motion.

"Pitch..." Jack could feel his whisper hold all the power to soothe him. His mind and body knew that he was safe with Pitch...

"Jack, what happened?" The frost spirit lifted his head from the other's chest and immediately saw how Pitch's gaze shifted to the blood on his lip. "Who hit you?"

"Doesn't matter." Jack hadn't expected Pitch to pull away.

"It was one of the Guardians, wasn't it?" Pitch walked towards one of the shadows and Jack hurried to grab at his cloak.

"Don't hurt them!" His lover turned to face him, making him let go of the dark fabric. His shoulders were strong, tense, yet fluid in some strange way, like a panther.

"One of them hurt you! I will not let that pass!"

"It's my fault! I aggravated Bunny-"

"So the rabbit then?" The Bogeyman turned again towards the shade, ignoring Jack's stammering. Growling lowly, Jack flew towards and over Pitch, landing in front of him and in front of the shadow.

"Listen to me please!"

Pitch blinked twice and stood still. Jack relaxed a bit at that.

"I don't want you to hurt them. I touched on a soft spot, what happened between you and Bunny-" He noticed how Pitch's eyes turned colder at that. "-and I just said that you had suffered to. I didn't say how, when, or why, but he doesn't know you at all, and I wanted him to know that before he tried to judge you again!"

He floated over to just touch Pitch's cheek, a small bit of frost decorating the other's skin. Pitch shivered, and the heat from the subtle, unconscious movement turned the thin ice to beautiful little droplets that slid down to his jaw, sliding lower to drip off of his chin.

"I don't want them to hurt you," Pitch said softly.

"Okay. I get that." Jack leaned in and pressed a kiss to the other man's lips, forgetting that his small injury even existed until Pitch suckled on it, bringing forth a bit of pain and the taste of blood. Quickly, the pain went away, as did the blood, and when the kiss was broken, Jack raised a finger to his lip.

"It's healed."

"One of my many talents."

Pitch turned back and walked towards the bed that covered the entrance to his home.

"Would you like to sleep a while? It could prove beneficial for the stress."

Jack smiled. "Yeah... We need to work on this communication, too."

Pitch nodded. "Did the Guardians oppose your association with me?"

He laughed. "They don't know how close we are, just that I've been visiting. North said that us getting closer seemed like a good thing. His belly is okay with it. Tooth just asked how you helped and she helped me up when the kangaroo hit me. Sandy... I don't really know."

Jack floated forward again and reached down to grab Pitch's hand, pressing a kiss to his first two knuckles.

"But I'm staying with you, no matter what."

Pitch gave a small smile. "Seems we're committed, as I feel no urge to strike terror into anyone's hearts and you're staying despite what just happened."

"There's no other way I'd rather have it, Bogeyman."

* * *

The Triangular Theory of Love is as such:

1) Intimacy - emotional closeness and want (Not needing to be with someone, but not wanting to be without them)

2) Commitment - trust and loyalty

3) Passion - lust, wanting, and physical desire

Devany: Hi, guys. I just wanted to thank those who are reading the series "Lark and Nightingale" and I would just like to ask for reviews. I really would appreciate any feedback and criticism (positive and negative). It would really help me grow as a writer and it could help with the 7th part of the series onward.

Thank you again!


	3. Passion

Chapter Summary:

_Be careful of the monsters_  
_For it becomes difficult to discern_  
_When you are separate or one_  
_This should cause concern_

_But of the monster called Love_  
_One can only drown in it_  
_Close your eyes and smile_  
_As you sink into its grip_

_You are lost in the dark_  
_Toward the world, turn cold_  
_The warmth of your passion_  
_Burning keeps you warm, bold_

_You toss only for comfort_  
_You cry out only for more_  
_You fall asleep sweetly_  
_In love, mine, for evermore_

_- "Separate or One"_

* * *

_So this takes place about a week or so after "Commitment" and a week before "Lark and Nightingale"_

Be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one.  
- Friedrich Nietzsche

* * *

Inside of Pitch's lair, hands were dragging fingernails up his sides and Jack shook with excitement. His sweater had come off and Pitch was teasing him with his shadows and hands. His staff was only feet away, but Jack did not feel the urge to have it with him at the moment.

"Pitch, what-" Jack moaned softly as the other spirit wrapped his arms about his waist. They stood for a while, enjoying each other's presence, Jack's head resting on Pitch's chest. There was nothing between their torsos and Jack shivered at the realisation that, perhaps, he and Pitch could do more than just the touching that they had been partaking in since the beginning of their relationship.

Jack let his arms come up to Pitch's shoulder, kneading at the slightly tense muscles and leaning forward to press kisses to Pitch's breastbone, enjoying the shiver that results. Pitch's arms tightened about his waist and the taller one came down to kiss his forehead

"Jack." The word, his name, was heavy with sentiment, love, a passion.

It made his heart ache, that someone could say his name with such fervour. Someone thought that he was worth loving and it was the most beautiful sensation in the world, to repeat the action, say Pitch's name back to him, and to feel his muscles contract, arms lifting Jack up and carrying him to some location that he was currently unable to see.

The blankets were soft and not too warm to make Jack feel uncomfortable. His back was sensitive to the soft sensation, having only been subjected to the rough feel of tree bark through his sweater and before that, his thin shirt and deer hide cloak. Pitch's hands were still wandering, touching, exploring, discovering all of Jack's body, lips eventually joining the curious fingers.

Jack had to grip the sheets tightly at the kisses, the heat radiating from Pitch on the edge of overwhelming and maddening. Heat was travelling to every inch of his body and it was specifically going to the meeting of his thighs, his cock getting hard from the stimulation.

"You're lovely, Jack." Pitch murmured the words against his hip, pressing a wet kiss there. The younger spirit let out a moan, arching up a bit as the words sent more heat downwards. The grey hands held his hips down and Jack whined softly at the restraint, loosening his grip from the sheets and moving his hands to hold onto Pitch's shoulders.

"Pitch, please!" The hand that began to wander down to that gathering of heat between his legs made itself known, beginning to fondle him through his pants. Jack groaned at the friction of it, bringing up a hand to place against the back of Pitch's neck, trying to move him up. Pitch obeyed and Jack arched his back to place a kiss on his lover's lips, shuddering at the sensations of pleasure that kept crashing over him in waves.

"Please?" the question whispered across his lips.

"Let me touch you too."

There was a pause in movement and Pitch pulled his hands away slowly, allowing Jack the time to flip them over and to straddle Pitch's waist. His eyes were getting accustomed to the darkness and Pitch's shadows ebbed away slightly. The grey form beneath him was relaxed, though hands were gripping at his waist, thumbs drawing little circles in his pale skin.

"How will you touch me, Jack?" Pitch asked, his golden eyes glistening in the shadows. Jack felt his face grow warmer and he closed his eyes, trying to find any knowledge inside of himself of how to go about this. He bent down, feeling Pitch ease his movements by relaxing his arms, and placed an open-mouthed kiss on Pitch's neck, biting gently after hearing Pitch moan at the teasing of the skin above his neck veins. The hands gripped at him a bit more tightly and he trailed soft kisses, as playful as a snowflake dancing in the wind.

This hands, stiff on either side of Pitch, began to move, trailing over Pitch's arms, his nail scratching lightly and making incredibly faint marks. Pitch was taller than he and he wanted to explore every inch, explore this person that made him feel less lonely in the world, know him better than anyone else every could. This was the mantra in Jack's head as he moved lower down the length of the Bogeyman's body, eventually asking for the other to take off his trousers to give him oral pleasure.

"Are you sure?"

Jack nodded. His body was screaming for it, to have Pitch in whatever way he was allowed.

The trousers were soon gone and Jack had taken a grip of Pitch's cock, stroking it with a childlike curiosity. It was larger than his own and he had never been this close to anyone - let alone, another male - to be this intrigued. He looked up at Pitch, who nodded slowly. His lips were cold and they made Pitch hiss at the sudden change in temperature, but the taller man reached out and held fast to Jack's shoulder, letting out a moan.

"Go ahead," was the breathy sentence that allowed Jack the pleasure of pressing his tongue against the hot flesh in his mouth, tasting Pitch for the first time. It tasted strange, though not detestable. It would take getting used to, and the two of them had all the time in the world for getting accustomed to this relationship of theirs.

Every sound that Pitch let slip from his mouth was a musical note to Jack's ears and they drove him as crazy as Pitch fondling him had. Every few moments, Jack took in a bit more into his mouth and let his tongue tease what made it past his lips. Pitch's hand gripped tighter at his shoulder. Jack would have smiled at that, seeing the other be like putty in his hands. The young spirit moved his head up and down, slowly getting used to the action. When he felt Pitch's cock heavy in his mouth and unable to take in any more, he held Pitch steady and picked up the pace. It wasn't too fast, but it was enough that Jack could feel himself breathe harder, his nostrils flared a bit.

Jack raised his eyes to Pitch, watching the usual composed face go from pleased to lost in pleasure. Pitch's eyes were closed, but he was sweating lightly, his skin gistening with the scant amount of light around them. His chest was moving faster and the hand that wasn't holding onto Jack clawed into the bedsheets. The image he saw made Jack moan softly, the vibrations going through Pitch and drawing out a long groan. Jack blinked as he felt the cock in his mouth twitch a bit. Or did it seem bigger? Whatever had just happened, it made Jack moan again, a bit louder, and Pitch was soon warning Jack that he was going to come. It made the frost spirit acutely aware of his own erection still trapped in the confines of his trousers.

Jack pulled off with a soft pop and looked up at Pitch. Golden eyes revealed themselve through half-open eyelids. Pitch released his fierce hold of the sheets to help Jack onto the bed on his knees, one pale hand gripping his cock still. Pitch reached down to pull the deerhide down and touched Jack, smiling at the keen that Jack let escape his lips at the contact.

"Pitch!" Jack panted for air - sweet air - as Pitch's hand began move up and down. He tried to mirror the motion as best he could, dizzy with the feeling of pleasure, want, love. Jack came soon after Pitch began to stroke him, but his almost mindless hand motions were soon rewarded, Pitch covering his hand with cum not too long after. Jack vaguely heard his own name.

He was shaking and couldn't hold himself up, Pitch catching him, holding him, kissing him as though drunk. It was a messy kiss, saliva dripping on the corners of their mouths, but it was wonderful, passionate.

They slept a dreamless sleep, and the next morning, were content just to hold one another, listening to each other's stories.

It was a beautiful start their relationship, one they would not regret.

* * *

The Triangular Theory of Love is as such:

1) Intimacy - emotional closeness and want (Not needing to be with someone, but not wanting to be without them)

2) Commitment - trust and loyalty

3) Passion - lust, wanting, and physical desire

Devany: Hi, guys. I just wanted to thank those who are reading the series "Lark and Nightingale" and I would just like to ask for reviews. I really would appreciate any feedback and criticism (positive and negative). It would really help me grow as a writer and it could help with the 7th part of the series onward.

Thank you again!


End file.
